The peg rail is one of the neatest features of Shaker design. It’s simple and utilitarian. People continue to produce classic Shaker-style turned pegs, but for an unused space behind my kitchen entry door, I was curious if I could evolve the design into something equally robust but modern.
I started with a solid maple board I found in the shop. I added a nice backward bevel to give it a more distinct shadow. For the pegs, I wanted to use a clean dowel form. But I also wanted to ensure that coats couldn’t fall off–without installing them at an unsightly non-90ยบ angle. That requirement led me to what I call the “whistle cut.” It works! Figuring out how to make it repeatably on the bandsaw was probably the biggest challenge of the project.
